


Victorio

by saddle_tramp



Series: Let The Ponies Run [1]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: First Meetings, First Time, M/M, Magnificent Seven AU: Rodeo, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 08:38:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18049229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saddle_tramp/pseuds/saddle_tramp
Summary: So, I was watching'Hondo'the other night and fell asleep, and I had this dream about Vin and Chris and a rodeo bronc named after the Apache chief in the movie, Victorio. The bunny stayed with me when I woke up, and this happened.Once upon a time, I was writing a long Magnificent Seven modern-day rodeo AU. This fits in as a prequel to that story, which I just may start poking at again, but it stands alone just fine, too.





	1. Chapter 1

 

The last thing Vin Tanner ever expected to see in a rodeo chute in west Texas was forever staring back at him, but that was where he found it.

Vin had a reputation on the circuit as the guy to yell for when a bronc was acting up in the chute, and he hadn't been surprised when he heard Tell Jansen holler down the row for someone to tell Tanner to come help with Victorio. There weren't many on the circuit who would help when the stud was acting up, not when it was common knowledge he'd put a guy in the hospital if he got half a chance. Victorio was about half sidewinder and just about as rank as any horse could be and still be useful in any way, and Vin had expected he'd be needed if Victorio ended up in a chute that night.

The stallion had been named for an Apache war chief who was so notorious for slaughtering settlers and pony soldiers that he was featured as the villain in a John Wayne movie, though Vin would have bet cash money the dun stallion was even tougher than Chief Victorio. Victorio the horse was over sixteen hands of pure tough, a wild-caught mustang battle scarred from a life in the wild before he was caught up in a helicopter roundup about five years back. He was around twelve years old with a dun coat so dark he looked more brown than gold and had enough spirit and brains for three horses, and the indomitable will to make a life for himself as a bronc of the highest caliber.

The big dun stallion was only on the alternate list that night, but three riders had gotten a reride so Vin had stayed close after his own run just in case. One guy's bronc had shut down on him so completely it wouldn't even leave the chute earlier, and that turned out to be the unlucky sod who drew Victorio according to what the announcer was saying as Vin hurried down the line. Vin was sure that the gelding the guy drew the first time, a draft cross named Sundown who just didn't have the heart to fight anymore, would be on a slaughter truck bound for Mexico by noon the next day, but Victorio would never meet a similar fate. The dun would end up on a ranch somewhere with a herd of bronc mares one day when he got too dangerous to haul anymore, but until then he was the top money-maker for the contractor that owned him, a guy named Jimmy Curtis.

Jimmy was in his forties and was a retired saddle-bronc rider himself, and he had friends in sale barns and BLM facilities around the country and usually had a few broncs at any of the big rodeos. Most of his stock were just buckers, horses that refused to be rode but otherwise weren't dangerous, but every once in a while he took on a really rank one. Victorio was the worst he'd ever owned, damned near impossible to ride with absolutely no fear in him and a whole lot of hate for anything human. Vin suspected that Victorio had been mistreated pretty bad by someone at the BLM before Jimmy bought him, but whatever the cause, there weren't many who were willing to get close enough to the stud to help a rider get set on his back.

Vin heard an angry equine bellow just beyond several cowboys who were crowded onto the walkway in front of him and he didn't bother trying to tell them to move, grabbing the shoulder of a big guy he didn't know and stepping up on the empty chute next to him. Vin vaguely noticed the big guy's surprise as Vin passed him but he ignored it for the most part, surefooted as a cat as he walked the pipe fence rails of the empty chute towards the next one.

There were a dozen cowboys gathered around it, but Vin wasn't surprised to see most of them were staying back far enough they weren't actually doing any good. Victorio had tucked his head down between his forelegs and was refusing to budge as Jimmy tried to haul up his head, a rider in black already on Victorio's back trying unsuccessfully to get the dun to move. Victorio had the man's right leg pinned against the back of the chute so hard the pipe fence was creaking, and the guy on his back was slapping the horse's opposite shoulder and hip trying to make him turn that way.

Vin winced in sympathy, sure of exactly how much that hurt because the stud had pinned him pretty much the same way more than once. He didn't even pause as he dropped to one knee on the walkway by Jimmy and leaned down into chute over Victorio's head, grabbing the thick lead rope with one hand and reaching for the stud's ear with the other to give it a good twist as he growled, "Get your head up, you bastard!"

Victorio twisted out of Vin's grip on his ear instantly, throwing his head up with an angry squeal, and Vin grinned as he hauled hard on the rope, bracing himself against the side of the chute with one foot and ignoring the way the stud's big yellow teeth snapped only a few inches from his face.

"That's better," Vin said firmly, still grinning as Victorio forgot the guy on his back, moving off the man's leg to try to go after Vin instead. They had history and Vin knew the big stud hated him. Vin flicked a glance at the guy on the stallion's back, getting a glimpse of a clenched jaw and a dusty black hat, then met Victorio's eyes again as he said, "Get out of there, cowboy, before he forgets about gettin' at me an' goes over backwards on you."

"Never been so glad to see you, boy," Jimmy said as the guy who had been pinned in the chute scrambled out to fall on the walkway at Jimmy's other side.

Victorio lunged up over the side of the chute towards Vin, squealing angrily, and Vin shifted one foot to kick the stud in the chin and make him shy back. "Aww, you know me, Jimmy! I just _love_ playin' with this big dun son of a bitch."

Victorio twisted in the chute again, glaring through the slats at Vin as he kicked out with both hind legs behind him, iron-hard hooves clanging on the pipe gate between that chute and the next one.

"Yeah, yeah, you're pissed!" Vin said cheerfully to the big dun, easing up on the rope a bit but still ignoring most of the people gathered around in favor of watching Victorio. Taking his attention off the stallion for more than an instant when he was this close was more stupid than Vin was willing to be. The stallion threw himself sideways into the chute gate as if in answer, then suddenly went still, blowing out an angry snort as he glared at Vin, ears pinned tight to his skull. Vin rattled the stallion's lead, making Victorio paw the front of the chute irritably as Vin asked, "You gonna stand up like you got good sense now?"

"You know he's not," Jimmy said quickly, laughing as he let go of Victorio's lead rope to leave him in Vin's capable hands. The guy who drew Victorio was still sprawled by the chute, gingerly flexing his right leg, and Jimmy looked down at him as he asked, "You need a stretcher, son? He had you pinned in there pretty good."

"Hell no," the cowboy growled, as he obviously decided his leg was alright. "Just gimme a hand up."

Jimmy quickly offered the guy his hand and hauled him to his feet as someone behind Vin said quickly, "Call it and let's go, pard. It ain't worth it. No one's ever rode that dun 'cept the kid at the finals two years ago when they put that big bounty on him."

The guy in black who had drawn Victorio didn't even look up, moving towards the chute again as he growled, "Fuck that! Ain't no bronc gonna scare me off without at least _tryin'_ to make the buzzer."

Victorio seemed to have settled down a bit, but Vin knew it was an act. He didn't look away from the stud as he said, "Keep your feet up this time when you drop in the saddle, he'll pin you again if you give him the chance. Don't go for the stirrups until I say, and then you gotta be ready to rock. He's gonna try goin' over backwards if you fuck around."

"Got it," the guy said quickly, stepping up on the chute and moving over Victorio again.

The stallion pinned his ears, rolling his eyes to look back at the guy who was hovering over him, and Vin gave his lead rope a good hard yank. Victorio looked back at Vin, twisting to snap at him as Vin said, "Hit the saddle!"

The guy dropped into the saddle immediately and Victorio squealed, whipping his head and kicking out again as Vin glanced at the rider. The guy had his head down and his hat was hiding his face as he held on to the pommel of the battered saddle strapped to Victorio's back, both feet pulled up high.

Vin hauled hard on the stallion's rope, making Victorio look at him again as he said, "Alright, get your stirrups, but be quick about it. He's gonna explode when you do."

The man in black was still for a moment longer and then quickly kicked his feet down and into the stirrups, and the feel of his legs against Victorio's ribs made the stallion bellow and lunge in the chute, unsuccessfully trying to drag his head down to buck. Vin reached over the side of the chute, popping Victorio lightly on the side of the neck behind his ear, and the stallion instantly twisted to snap at him instead as Vin flipped the tail of the stallion's lead rope to the man in black. "Remember he'll stomp you if he can!"

"Got it!" the man said, catching the rope and pulling it tight as Vin let go. Vin dodged Victorio's teeth again and slapped the stud's face to keep Victorio's attention on him, glancing quickly at the guy sitting in the big dun's saddle just as the man in black tucked his head down even tighter and then nodded to the gate man outside the chute in the arena. "Turn him out!"

Vin pushed off the chute and stood to get a better view as the gate swung open and Victorio exploded out, bucking hard while the man on his back spurred his shoulders at every jump, his free hand held high. Victorio bucked and leapt fairly straight-forwardly down the arena a few jumps, then let out an angry bellow as he turned back towards the chute and whipped around to the left. Vin winced as the rider mistimed the next jump and didn't get a good mark with his spurs over the stud's shoulders, then Victorio switched directions again and the man in black went flying a jump later, landing about ten feet outside of the chute just before the buzzer sounded. The pickup riders were already moving towards Victorio but the big dun stud ignored them, plunging to a halt and turning to charge at the man he had just thrown with an angry squeal. The man in black scrambled into the chute with the gate man, the gate swinging shut behind them just before Victorio hit it with a bellow and a resounding clang.

The pickup men herded the stallion away with swinging ropes as the announcer started in on his spiel for the next rider, telling who he was and what horse he was riding, but Vin tuned it out. He was too busy staring down into intense green eyes as the man in black stared up at him from in the chute. Vin actually recognized the man, he'd seen him around at rodeos over the last few years, but they ran in very different circles and at that moment Vin couldn't remember the guy's name if his life had depended on it. Vin knew he was an all-around rider, one of the men who rode in every event trying for average money at the end of the rodeo instead of riding just the one or two events he was best at. Vin himself just rode broncs and did a little calf roping when he could borrow a horse, but he left the bulls and the steers to guys more suited to it.

The big guy who had been blocking Vin's way when he approached the chute moved up next to Vin then, leaning over the side of the chute to offer the man in black his hand as he said cheerfully, "Told you so, pard. Ain't nobody can ride that loco mustang."

The man in black took the big guy's hand, letting the guy help him up over the side of the chute before he gestured at Vin. "He did it, Bucklin."

The big guy, who was evidently named Bucklin, looked at Vin in surprise as Vin grinned. "Once so far, outta maybe a dozen tries."

Jimmy laughed, patting Vin on the back as he said, "That's still one more than anyone else." He grinned at Bucklin and the man in black and said, "Fellas, I'm Jimmy Curtis and this crazy bronc rider here is Vin Tanner."

The bigger of the other two grinned and offered Jimmy his hand. "Buck Wilmington. You got some nice stock."

Jimmy shook Buck's hand and then released it, smiling. "Thanks, son. I try." He looked at the man in black, offering him his hand. "And you are...?"

"Chris Larabee," the man in black replied, shaking hands with Jimmy. He looked at Vin then, meeting his gaze again as he offered Vin his hand and added, "Thanks for the help with Victorio. Got me a lot closer to ridin' him than I did last time I drew him."

"No problem," Vin said easily, smiling as they shook hands. "Jimmy can't wrestle him down anymore, Victorio's got him bufflaoed."

Jimmy gave Vin a shove. "You'd be careful of him too if it was you he put in the hospital, boy!"

Vin grinned at Jimmy. "You forgetting when he went over backwards with me at Mesquite, three years back? Busted my shoulder all to hell and had me laid up half that season before I was riding rough stock again."

"And then you won the bounty _and_ the saddle bronc at the Finals on him the next season," Jimmy added quickly. "You're the _only_ rider on the circuit that don't panic a little when they see him in the draw, kid. I've had guys offer to _pay me_ to retire that rank son of a bitch!"

"I like the rank ones," Vin pointed out with a grin. "You ain't careful, one of these days I'll steal him. He'd be near as good a ropin' horse as my old Wildcat was if I could just get him fightin' _with_ me instead of against me."

Jimmy snorted, looking at Chris and Buck as he explained, "The only thing wilder than Vin here is the horses he rides. Kid's been snackin' on loco weed since he was knee high to a short horse."

"Sounds like Chris," Buck said, laughing. "He loves it when he draws a rank one, says it lets a body know he's alive."

Vin looked at Chris, meeting that green gaze again with a wide grin, his blue eyes sparkling as he said, "Oh hell yeah."

Chris just smiled a little wider and winked.

 

~*~*~

 

Vin ended up alone with Chris later that night.

It started out with Jimmy offering to buy dinner for Chris and Buck, since his broncs had thrown them both and kept them out of the all around money they were riding for. He had invited Vin along too, Vin often rode between events with him to help with his stock and they were good friends, but then Jimmy had seen another stock contractor he needed to talk some business with. He threw a couple hundred on the table, told them to have a good night on him, and then headed out.

Vin hadn't minded being abandoned. He wasn't afraid of any man, least of all a couple nice guys like Chris and Buck, so he stuck with them when they walked from the steak house a few blocks from the arena to a bar down the road that was packed with cowboys and buckle bunnies. Vin and Chris had taken up residence in a corner booth, laughing at the way Buck was constantly out on the floor dancing with any girl who'd give him the time of day. Buck wasn't picky, obviously just as happy dancing with a little slip of a barrel racer as he was with a curvy city girl who seemed to be there mostly to watch the cowboys, and it didn't take him long to cut a likely filly out of the herd and get her headed back to her hotel for a little horizontal mambo.

Chris and Vin barely noticed Buck leaving other than the minute or so Buck took to introduce them to the girl and tell Chris not to wait up. After Buck was gone Chris and Vin had gotten started talking about broncs they had both ridden and rodeos that were particular favorites, and it soon seemed sort of like everyone else had disappeared. Before Vin knew it the bartender was turning up the lights for last call and he found himself blinking in the sudden brightness, catching the same surprised look on Chris' face that he knew was on his own as they realized they had been talking for hours.

Vin and Chris walked out side-by-side, surprisingly steady considering how many beers they had both put away, and soon they were walking along a darkened sidewalk together. They finally seemed to have run out of things to say, but the silence that had fallen between them felt like they were waiting for something, like there was more to say but neither of them quite knew how to say it just yet.

They walked shoulder-to-shoulder down the deserted sidewalk for several blocks before they turned a corner and Vin saw the sign for a motel up ahead. He suddenly knew what it was still hanging between them, what he hoped Chris might want, but he had no idea how to bring up the idea. He'd never heard even a hint on the circuit that Chris swung his way, and he figured if the guy was gay it would have been common gossip. Everyone knew about the team ropers who were much more than a team and the bull riders from Brazil who would fuck anything that held still when they were drunk, so he was pretty sure he'd have heard if Chris swung his way. Vin had heard comments about his own sexuality from all sides since the day he hit the circuit after high school, from friendly teasing to threats and orders to get his ass out of the locker room until the 'real men' were done.

"I got a room here," Chris said suddenly, making Vin look at him in surprise. Chris wasn't looking at Vin, his gaze ahead of them on the sign for the motel as he added, "And Buck won't likely be comin' back tonight."

"Sounds kinda like a proposition," Vin murmured softly.

"Maybe 'cause it kinda is," Chris admitted, his face heating up. "There's two beds, if you're not interested. Or worried."

"Ain't scared of you," Vin murmured, smiling. Chris looked at him and Vin met his gaze, a little surprised by how uncertain and anxious Chris' eyes were. Vin blinked, his eyebrows going up as he asked softly, "How often you done this kinda thing, Chris?"

"Countin' you?" Chris asked. Vin nodded and then Chris gave him a crooked smile and looked away. "Once."

"Aww, now you got me feelin' plumb _special_ , cowboy," Vin murmured with a little grin, surprised and very pleased. He knew it could be a lie, but he didn't think it was. Chris just didn't strike him as the type to lie about that kind of thing.

Chris snorted, but he was smiling just a little when Vin looked at him again. "Never even thought about doin' this kinda thing before."

"I have," Vin said softly. "That make a difference?"

"One of us oughta know what he's doin'," Chris pointed out.

"I'd prefer you doin' me, if that was a question," Vin said quietly. "Not much different for you than fuckin' a girl, I 'spect."

Chris turned into the motel's dark parking lot, avoiding the office and walking just a bit faster towards where a stock trailer was parked at the end of the row as he said quietly, "Ain't sure I even remember how. Been a hell of a long time."

"It's like ridin' a horse." Vin grinned, bumping his shoulder against Chris' again. "I promise not to buck y' off like Victorio done, though."

Chris snorted. "I think I can take whatever you can dish out, Tanner."

"I _know_ I can handle all you can dish out," Vin replied, his grin turning a bit wicked. "I'm gonna ride you hard and put you away wet an' limp as a noodle, but I promise you're gonna be happy about it."

"Damn," Chris said quietly, smirking as he dug in the pocket of his leather jacket for the key to his room. "Sounds like my lucky night."

"You got no idea how lucky yet," Vin murmured as they stopped in the shadows between the stock trailer and the nearest room's door.

Chris unlocked the room, leading the way inside and flipping a switch by the door that turned on the lamp over one of the two queen-sized beds. "Lookin' forward to finding out."

"Might take all night," Vin said, following Chris into the room and closing the door behind them.

Chris took off his leather jacket, tossing it on one of the beds as he looked at Vin. "You got somewhere else you wanna be?"

Vin moved towards the beds as he shrugged out of his jean jacket, dropping it on the floor behind him. "Nope." He unbuckled his belt and then dragged his flannel shirt up out of his jeans to start unbuttoning it, his gaze steady on Chris' green eyes.

Chris watched him intently, licking his lips as he caught a glimpse of Vin's belly and then watching as Vin's fingers slowly worked their way up the buttons, revealing more glimpses of skin along the way until Vin suddenly shrugged out of the shirt, letting it fall behind him. Vin was built lean and tough, not muscled up like a bull rider or one of the steer wrestlers, but he was obviously strong anyway. There wasn't an extra ounce of flesh on him, just sleek firm muscle and golden tanned skin that made it plain he went outdoors without a shirt pretty regular.

"You just gonna look?" Vin asked softly, walking towards where Chris stood between the beds.

"Not my plan, no," Chris said, his cheeks flushing slightly as he looked down and started popping the snaps on his button-front shirt open.

Vin hid a grin, dropping onto the foot of one bed to take off his lace-up ropers. "Glad to hear it." He dropped one boot and then the other to the floor with quiet thumps, following them with his socks, then looked up to see Chris was shirtless and watching him again, his hands still on his belt buckle. Chris was carrying more muscle than Vin, wider across the chest despite slim hips, but his skin was pale as cream and Vin licked his lips at the sight, his gaze following the sparse trail of dark hair down Chris' belly to disappear into his jeans.

Vin stood and moved towards Chris, smiling as he murmured, "You look good enough to eat, Larabee." He licked his lips again, pleased by the way Chris' gaze settled on his mouth to watch intently, and he didn't stop to think it over before he said softly, "You mind if I have a snack?"

"Pretty sure I'm gonna enjoy anything you got a mind to do," Chris replied, finally unfastening his belt and then reaching for Vin.

Vin moved into Chris' arms without any hesitation, leaning up for a kiss that started slow and a little careful but quickly intensified to something that left them both gasping for breath a few minutes later. Chris ducked to bite the side of Vin's throat, earning a low noise as Vin's head tipped to give him better access, and then he licked and sucked at the bite before he growled softly, "You taste like a little piece of heaven, Vin."

Vin shuddered as he felt Chris' teeth on his skin again, tightening his grip on Chris' shoulders. "Got a thing for sweaty bronc riders, huh?"

"Only ones named Vin Tanner so far," Chris murmured into Vin's ear, his voice a low rumble. He sucked harder on the mark he'd made, enjoying the low noise Vin made, then purred, "Likin' the flavor though, for a fact."

"Sayin' shit like that will get you laid," Vin whispered a bit breathlessly.

"Promises, promises." Chris moved to kiss Vin again, taking it over right from the start like he owned Vin, but Vin didn't even consider protesting as he let Chris plunder his mouth hungrily while Vin unbuttoned the fly of Chris' jeans.

Vin dropped to his knees when they came up for air, dragging Chris' jeans and briefs down and staring hungrily at the darkly flushed cock that was revealed, springing free of the fabric. There was already a bead of liquid at the tip and Chris' cock throbbed and gave a little jerk upwards as Vin watched, making him grin as he murmured, "Oh yeah." He leaned in to lick away the droplet, letting out a low purr at the taste, and then he closed one fist around the base of the shaft as took the crown into his mouth to suck on it as he flicked his tongue against the slit, making Chris groan.

Chris moved his hands to Vin's head, sliding his fingers into Vin's shaggy hair as he murmured, "God, your _mouth_."

Vin chuckled slightly around Chris' cock, his gaze lifting to Chris' face as he sucked harder, enjoying the strangled little noise Chris made and then slowly pulling off with a wet pop before he murmured, "Been told I got a little talent." He took the crown in his mouth again without giving Chris a chance to reply, tongue flicking against the underside of the glans and then pressing more firmly as he sucked it in deeper.

Chris tightened his grip on Vin's head without really intending to, pushing a little deeper into Vin's mouth as he stared down into Vin's eyes, and he groaned softly at the way Vin just let him in, taking it with no sign of discomfort. Chris pulled back to thrust again, slow and careful, and Vin let out a low rumble as he closed his eyes and just went with it. Chris let himself thrust a few more times before he pulled back, tugging Vin's mouth off of his cock with a wet slurp and making Vin look up at him in surprise as Chris murmured, "So fuckin' good at that."

Vin licked his lips, making no effort to fight Chris' hold on his head as he said softly, "Kinda enjoy it."

Chris moved one hand to stroke Vin's cheek and jaw, not really even thinking about it as he whispered, "You are damn near perfect."

Vin smiled, blue eyes sparkling as he ran his hands along Chris' muscular thighs. "We ain't even got to the best part, cowboy."

"It gets much better 'n this is gonna be over way sooner than either of us wants," Chris pointed out quietly.

Vin gave Chris a sudden shove, pushing him back to sit on the edge of the bed and then reaching for Chris' right boot to drag it off as he said, "There's always round two." He smirked. "Or three."

Chris laughed, shifting to let Vin take his other boot too as he said, "Three might be a bit much. I ain't eighteen no more."

"Good thing, too," Vin agreed, smirking. "Never been one to go for younger men." He dragged Chris' jeans and briefs off and then stood to shuck out of his own jeans, enjoying how intently Chris was watching him as he asked quietly, "You got any stuff?"

"Stuff?" Chris echoed, lifting his gaze to Vin's face.

"Lube? Condoms?" Vin asked, amused by Chris' blank look.

"There'll be condoms in Buck's bag," Chris replied, blushing a bit as he glanced towards where he and Buck had dropped their bags near the bathroom door. "He might have some lube too, I dunno."

Vin stepped aside to let Chris stand and move towards the bags, watching him with a rather predatory little smile as he said, "Lotion'll work." Chris had a really nice ass, toned and muscular with the full curves of a man who spent a lot of time in the saddle, and Vin enjoyed the view as he added a bit absently, "Anything slick, really."

Chris crouched by the bags, unzipping one and rummaging around in one end before he came up with a few packets of condoms and then digging deeper before he finally held up a travel-sized bottle of conditioner with a Hilton logo on it. "Conditioner?"

"It'll do," Vin agreed. "Next time I'll make sure I grab my bag before we leave the grounds."

Chris stood to move back towards Vin and the bed, surprised. "You just left your stuff?"

"It's in Jimmy's trailer," Vin replied. "Nobody'll fuck with it, they'd have to get by his dog an' Peso don't let nobody in that trailer that don't belong. Dog's near as mean as Victorio to folks he don't know. Coal black, half Heeler, half Pit and all tough."

Chris snickered. "I never met a Pit I didn't like, but Heelers can be nasty." He dropped the condoms and the little bottle of conditioner on the bedside table and then reached for Vin, stepping in close as he murmured, "Now where were we?"

"About two minutes from you fuckin' me just as hard as you can stand," Vin replied instantly, lifting his arms to slide his hands into Chris' hair and pull him into a kiss with a little grin.

Vin was on his back on the bed under Chris a few moments later, bodies surging against each other as they kissed, the urgency that had subsided a bit when they parted for Chris to go to the bags flaring up hot and heady between them again. Chris didn't know much about what men did together beyond the obvious but Vin was flexible enough to do the prep himself while Chris watched with a hot, intense look in his eyes, both in too much of a hurry to bother with Vin teaching Chris what to do when Vin could do it faster himself, and then a few moments later Chris' cock was sinking slowly into him as Vin let out a low ragged groan and wrapped his legs around Chris' waist.

Chris shuddered as his balls finally pressed against Vin's ass, holding still to savor the tight heat of Vin's body clenching around his cock for a few moments before he pulled back to thrust in carefully again. It had been a long time for him, nearly two years, but as he thrust into Vin a third time he found himself thinking _no one_ had ever felt as good as it felt driving his cock deep into Vin's tight ass. He fought hard for control, sure that as tight as Vin felt around him he would hurt him if he wasn't careful, but after just a few thrusts he was already shaking with the effort.

"Y' kin do better 'n that, cowboy," Vin muttered, back arching as he tried to get Chris in even deeper. "Harder."

Chris leaned down to nuzzle at the bite he had left on Vin's throat earlier, making Vin tip his head to give him better access as Chris sucked hard on it again and then murmured huskily, "You sure?"

"I ain't gonna break," Vin said with a soft breathy little laugh, moving one hand to swat Chris' ass. "Giddyup. I can take all you can dish out an' then some."

Chris let out a huff of a laugh and stopped fighting the urge to pound into Vin, letting his hips snap forward hard and fast as he nuzzled Vin's throat, loving the sounds Vin was making as Vin's fingers dug into his shoulders, holding on for the ride. It was easy to get lost in the feel of Vin's body against his, the taste of his skin, the low noises he made, and the perfect velvet clench around his cock as Vin took everything he had to give and obviously loved every second of it. Vin moved one hand after a few minutes to slip between them, fisting his cock with a low almost pained noise and then stroking it quickly as his body jerked against Chris', muscles tightening as he got close. Vin stayed caught in that moment of pleasure so intense it almost hurt for what felt like ages before his whole body seemed to clench as he came, and the way his ass clamped down tight on Chris' cock dragged Chris over the edge with him.

Chris was sprawled mostly on top of Vin when he came to a little while later, his nose buried in the soft curls behind Vin's ear as he just relaxed and enjoyed the way Vin was holding him, slowly trailing the fingertips of one hand over Chris' back and shoulder. Chris pressed a kiss to the soft skin below Vin's ear before he pulled back to look at him, smiling when he saw how happy and relaxed Vin looked, his blue eyes warm and sparkling. He rolled them to their sides and kissed Vin without letting himself really think about the urge, but as they prolonged the kiss he slowly became very conscious of the fact that the driving hunger that had dominated their kisses earlier had been tempered into something deeper and far more satisfying.

Vin was the one to end the kiss, licking his lips as he stared into Chris' eyes for a long moment and then kissed him again, soft and so sweet and loving that it drew a low noise from Chris as he responded, his arms tightening around Vin. Vin was the one to end the kiss again, hiding his face against Chris' throat before Chris could get more than a glimpse of his face, but that glimpse was enough. Vin had looked a little surprised with so much emotion warring in his expressive blue eyes that it was impossible for Chris to be sure what he had seen, but he didn't need to. He was sure his face looked pretty similar.

Chris nuzzled Vin's temple and whispered, "Last thing I ever expected to find at a rodeo in west Texas was this. You."

"Same," Vin breathed out almost too quiet for Chris to hear.

Chris kissed Vin's temple and then asked very quietly, "Where you ridin' next?"

"I dunno," Vin replied softly, then pressed a soft open-mouthed kiss to the underside of Chris' jaw before he breathed out quietly, "You ain't told me yet."

Chris tightened his arms around Vin without consciously deciding to, smiling against Vin's skin as he whispered, "Gonna let me keep you a while, huh?"

"Couldn't get rid of me right now if you tried, cowboy," Vin murmured, and then he moved and they were kissing again, slow and easy.

That suited Chris just fine.

 

~*~*~

 

Chris groaned when the drapes were thrown back the next morning, flooding the room with bright sunlight. He and Vin were nearly buried under the covers he had dragged up over them both after the second round just before dawn, nothing visible of either of them except Chris' head and Vin's hair as Chris ducked away from the sudden bright light, but the blankets wouldn't budge when he tried to cover his head. He hid his face against the soft red-brown curls tucked up under his chin instead, tightening his arms around Vin as he growled, "Damn you, Buck! You better not forgot my coffee, you asshole."

Vin let out a soft little huff of a laugh against Chris' chest, otherwise not moving as Buck said cheerfully, "I got it, but I only brought _one_ pardner. Who's your lady friend?"

Vin snorted, his voice a bit low and huskier than the night before and most definitely male as he muttered, "' _Lady friend_ ' my ass."

"Holy shit!" Buck blurted, and then the springs on the other bed squeaked hard. Chris didn't have to look to know Buck had just fallen to sit on the other bed and would be comically wide-eyed and staring at them.

Chris snickered and pressed a soft kiss to Vin's curls, then loosened his grip on him just enough Vin could pull back if he wanted to as Chris looked towards Buck, who sure enough was looking at him like he'd grown antlers. "Good coffee?"

"I got that Dunkin Donuts shit you like, yeah," Buck replied a bit absently. "Filled your thermos an' got your breakfast, too." He was still staring at the back of Vin's head, and his gaze lingered a few moments longer before he met Chris' gaze, his eyes wide and confused. "Since when are you into fuckin' scrawny bronc riders, pard?"

Vin let out a low annoyed noise and muttered, "Watch it or _this_ scrawny bronc rider's gonna kick your ass, Bucklin."

Chris chuckled and ran his hand over Vin's back, not answering Buck for the simple reason he wasn't sure what to say. He knew it made no sense to Buck. Hell, it made no sense to _Chris_ , but he wasn't going to apologize or make excuses. An hour with Vin in his arms had made him pretty sure he wanted to keep him there, and staying together the rest of the night had just made him certain of it. Vin fit with him better than anyone had in years, seemed to get him even when he couldn't find the words to say what he was thinking, and Chris wasn't stupid enough to give that up just because it didn't make sense.

Vin pulled back enough to look at Chris then, giving him a searching look and then a soft little smile that made Chris smile too, forgetting their audience as he leaned to kiss Vin. It felt like coming home, like that one simple act could make everything right with his world, and Chris made a low pleased noise as he deepened the kiss slightly and lingered to enjoy it. Vin wasn't pushing for more, both hands resting against Chris' chest between them, but he responded with enough heat to make it plain he was on board with anything Chris might want from him, no matter who was watching them.

Thinking about them being watched made Chris pull away enough to end the kiss, resting his forehead against Vin's for a moment as he murmured with a soft little smile, "Hate stoppin' that, but I'm willin' to bet Buck's brain can't take much more."

Vin's lips curved into a grin and he nuzzled Chris' nose. "You sure he's got one?"

"Hey now!" Buck blurted, sounding somewhere between surprised and annoyed. "I ain't the one got so drunk I forgot the difference 'tween _men_ an' _women_!"

Chris lifted his head to look at Buck, meeting his eyes as he said dryly, "I wasn't drunk."

"An' I ain't sure there's enough whiskey in the world t' make me think a woman's grown herself a dick," Vin added with a little snicker, rolling to his back without really moving away from Chris much. He turned his head to look at Buck, adding helpfully, "Some women go for toys that'll get the job done for them, but it just ain't the same."

Chris snickered, looking at Vin and not really even noticing when he moved one hand to Vin's chest to stroke slowly over his skin. "Been there an' done that, huh?"

"Once," Vin agreed, amused as he looked at Chris, blue eyes sparkling. "I was in Vegas with a hundred grand in the bank, figured if I was ever gonna take a walk on the wild side, there was as good a place as any." He grinned, adding, "Spent a weekend at the Bunny Ranch lettin' one of the ladies try to expand my horizons, but it didn't take."

"Got a little wild in Vegas myself a time or two," Chris admitted, smirking. "Buck took him home one of those Dolly impersonators one time. I had just got to my room when he figured out just how much of what was in that dress was fake. I was two rooms down at the hotel an' _still_ heard him freakin' out clear as day."

Vin grinned. "He's a big guy, I reckon he can get pretty loud when he wants to."

"For a fact," Chris agreed, still smirking. "I bet ever'one in the place heard him bellowin' that night as he chased that guy out, cussin' him every step."

"I still ain't heard a decent explanation for _this_ , Chris," Buck said pointedly, making Chris and Vin both look at him in surprise. He was flushed red, most likely at being reminded about that guy, and he looked kind of annoyed as he waved at Vin and Chris, meeting Chris' gaze. "Since when are you the kinda feller who brings home a _guy_ an' then lays around _pettin'_ him while you run your mouth?"

Chris blinked in surprise and looked down, finally noticing that he had one hand on Vin under the blankets. He vaguely remembered that he'd been stroking Vin a bit now that Buck pointed it out, enjoying the feel of Vin's muscular body against his fingertips while they talked, and he let out a soft little laugh as he blushed.

Vin smiled at him, covering Chris' hand on his belly as he murmured, "I don't mind it."

"Good to know," Chris replied just as softly, and he didn't even try to fight the sudden impulse to kiss Vin again. Vin returned the kiss with a low happy hum, gladly opening up when Chris tried to deepen it and letting Chris explore his mouth lazily for a moment before Chris pulled away finally and murmured, "Not sure I'll ever get tired of that."

"Don't want you to," Vin admitted, blue eyes shining and warm over a sweet little smile.

Chris smiled back at Vin, staring into Vin's eyes as he said, "You better get used to it, Buck. I think I'm gonna keep him."

Buck was silent long enough to make Chris and Vin both look towards him to see Buck was sitting on the other bed, his hat in one hand as he scrubbed the other hand through his hair, looking worriedly down at the floor.

"Buck?" Chris half-asked quietly, frowning.

Buck looked up and met Chris' eyes, staring into them for a moment before he said, "How long has this been brewing, Chris? I know you ain't chased any skirts in a _long_ time, pard."

"This ain't why," Chris replied, still meeting Buck's gaze. "Never even considered a guy until last night, but now, well..." He trailed off and looked at Vin, who met his gaze with a slight smile, and Chris had to smile too. He looked at Buck again, catching a surprised look on Buck's face as he admitted, "I knew the can chasers an' buckle bunnies you like so much weren't really doing it for me anymore _years_ ago, Buck. I just didn't know what it was I was needin' until I found him."

"Him in particular," Buck half-asked, looking searchingly at Chris. "Not just any pretty lil' bronc rider."

"Never met another made me look twice," Chris agreed. "Doubt that's gonna change now." He grinned. "You don't look no better to me, if that's part of what's worryin' you."

Buck snorted, looking down and flapping his hat against his calf, but he was smiling a bit as he looked back at Chris. "Guess that means I'm drivin' today. He ain't ridin' in _my_ lap to Cheyenne."

Chris grinned, relieved and pleased that Buck had decided to just accept it and let it ride. "I figure he'll fit in the back after I clear out all the crap you've thrown back there."

Vin laughed. "I ain't ridin' in the back of a pickup truck that far for nobody, not in _October_. I can catch a ride with Jimmy, he's goin' to Cheyenne next too. Victorio's up in the final go round on Sunday an' Jimmy can't get him in a trailer without me playin' bait."

"Bait?" Chris repeated, surprised.

Vin nodded, grinning. "He's too damn canny to load up just 'cause he was told to and he won't follow nobody else in, but if I hop in the trailer Victorio'll charge right in after me. He _knows_ I'm gonna duck out the side door, but I guess he's hopin' one of these days I'll slip up an' he'll get his chance to stomp me."

Chris snorted. "Please tell me you got someone watchin' your back when you pull that shit."

"Ever since that time Victorio went over backwards on me in the chute, Jimmy's always been right there with a pistol in his boot when anyone touches Victorio," Vin agreed, tightening his grip on Chris' hand where it still rested on his belly. "If it got nasty, he'd put a bullet in him to keep Victorio from killin' somebody." He smiled wryly. "He'd hate doin' it, and I'd hate him a little for it too, most likely, but it's how it is. Kinda like the thing with the trailer, we've tried damn near everything else and chasin' me is the only way Victorio'll get in one. He won't be chased in, won't even go in after a mare, but he'll run right in one if he sees me in there waitin' on him."

"That stud oughta be out on someone's back forty with some mares somewhere, makin' crazy little bronc babies," Buck said firmly, making Chris and Vin both look at him. "Haulin' him around on the circuit is just beggin' for someone to end up gettin' _dead_."

"I'm bettin' Jimmy'll retire him next time I ride him," Vin said with a smile for Buck. "Ain't nobody ever stuck with Victorio but me, but I'm pretty sure I can do it again. I know all his tricks." He chuckled slightly, adding, "And there ain't many besides me who'll even _try_ ridin' him anymore. He's gotten too rough in the chute."

"Here's hoping you draw him at Cheyenne, then," Chris murmured, making Vin look at him again. "An' next time you need to load him, I want to know. You're gonna have some more help."

Vin smiled crookedly, teasing, "I don't need a big tough cowboy to protect me, Larabee."

"Got one anyhow," Chris said with a sudden little smirk. "Bigger 'n _you_ anyway." Vin laughed, sure exactly how Chris had meant that, and Chris kissed him quickly before he could argue, then grinned as he rolled away and sat up. He tossed the covers aside and then leaned to grab his jeans out of the floor as he asked, "What kinda donuts did you get us, Buck?"

"Same as you always order," Buck replied, a bit bemused. "Maple logs an' apple fritters."

Vin made a face, rolling to his side and propping himself up on one elbow to look past Chris at Buck, the blankets still covering everything but his chest and shoulders. "Nothin' with chocolate?"

"Nope," Buck replied, a little surprised that Vin barely even glanced at Chris standing up to pull up his jeans. "Chris don't hardly eat anything chocolate 'cept for peanut M&Ms now an' then."

"Next time you can just get another box for me then," Vin said with a soft laugh. "Anything covered in chocolate is good with me, sprinkles are better." He grinned at Buck, adding, "And for future reference, I'd kill for a Mountain Dew this time of day."

Chris snickered, walking towards the table where Buck had put down his thermos and the familiar Dunkin Donuts box. "Chocolate icing _and_ sprinkles? Really?"

"Sugar on top o' sugar with a sugar chaser," Vin replied promptly, grinning at the way Chris laughed and turned to look at him. "Breakfast of champions."

Chris grinned at Vin a moment longer and then had a thought that made him blush a bit and laugh as he turned back towards the table to open his thermos. It likely explained why Vin tasted so sweet.

Vin grinned and sat up on the bed. "Oh no, I saw that thought. Share!"

Chris laughed slightly again, not looking towards Vin. "No way in hell." He lifted the thermos to take a sip, followed by a long slow drink as he realized the coffee was cooled enough to allow it.

"I can make it worth your while," Vin said teasingly, making Chris cough slightly as he nearly choked on his coffee. He looked at Vin, a bit wide-eyed, and Vin smirked at him, scooting out from under the covers to walk towards Chris naked as the day he was born as he said, "I think you need a shower near as bad as I do, cowboy." He stepped right up to Chris' chest, ignoring Chris' surprise and leaning in close as he murmured, "Bet there's some more conditioner in there." He smirked and walked away, heading for the bathroom.

Chris turned to watch Vin go, his thermos forgotten in one hand as he watched every flex and twitch of Vin's ass until Vin disappeared into the bathroom. He licked his lips, remembering suddenly how spectacular it had felt to be balls-deep in that perfect little ass, and then he was setting his thermos aside to follow Vin without a word.

Buck watched Chris go, a bit wide-eyed, and then a moment later heard a low laugh followed by a much deeper growl that had Buck leaping to his feet to head for the door. "I'll just... go get Vin some breakfast," he said a little too loud, as much to drown out the noises in the bathroom as so Chris and Vin would be sure to hear him. "Y'all get that shit out of your system while I'm gone!"

"Mountain Dew and donuts, Bucklin," Vin called, laughing. "With chocolate icing!"

"And sprinkles!" Chris added, and then there was a surprised little squeak that trailed off into a purr almost quiet enough that Buck couldn't hear.

Buck was outside and heading for the truck a moment later, relieved he couldn't hear them anymore and thinking he'd be getting his own hotel room from now on.

Seeing Vin naked and halfway hard once was more than enough for him.

 

 ~~~ End~~  

TBC.


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

It turned out that when Chris suggested Vin riding in the back of his truck, he had meant the back seat.

Chris drove a black dually crew-cab pickup with bucket seats in front and a big bench seat in back that was filled with a jumbled pile of saddles, bridles, ropes, piggin strings, horse boots, human boots, clothes, spurs, and just plain trash that made it obvious a couple of cowboys lived in the truck and hardly ever cleaned it. The top layer looked to be the stuff they actually used when they competed, mostly their roping saddles and bridles, saddle blankets, and their bronc riggings, but there was so much crap in with it that trash fell out when Buck opened the passenger side back door.

Buck promptly picked up a few pieces of the trash and threw them towards the driver's side just in time to fall out when Chris opened that door.

"Nice, Buck," Chris said, bending to pick up the wadded up takeout bags. He stuffed them in the empty garbage bag he was holding, then straightened to start pulling trash out of the truck to add to it as he said, "I told you that you'd need a bag, too."

"Nah, I'll just toss it to you," Buck said cheerfully.

Vin was leaning on the fender of the matching black stock trailer with what was left of his Big Gulp of Mountain Dew, grinning and watching as Chris started tossing random things at Buck in between stuffing trash into a big bag he'd gotten from the hotel's maid. Vin wasn't about to offer to get into the mess, it looked like the wrong move would cause an avalanche, but he was pretty sure it was going to be funny to watch when it happened.

"Bucklin, you just got too much _shit_ in my truck. Why in hell did you put a broken spur back in here to start with?" Chris asked, amused and a little annoyed. "It ain't good for nothin'." So far, half the stuff in the pile on his side looked to be Buck's, even though Buck's things belonged on the other side of the truck. "And even if you _do_ want it, it don't belong over here." He threw the spur with no rowel on it through the truck with surprising accuracy to bounce off Buck's hat. "Keep it over there!"

"Ow, dammit!" Buck jerked when the spur hit him, dislodging the boot he'd had his hand on and triggering a shift in the pile that made his bareback rigging slide towards the door, taking half a dozen other things with it. Buck grabbed for the mess, managing to catch the rigging while several horse boots, an old bridle, his own boot he'd been trying to extricate from the mess, and the bag that held his grooming kit all clattered to the parking lot around his feet. He bent to start gathering up the mess as he said, "Quit that! Just make a pile of my shit, I'll come get it."

Chris snorted. "If you'd stop crammin' your junk in on my side, I wouldn't have to toss it back where it belongs." He pulled one of Buck's boots out of the pile, tossing it at Buck while he was still bent over and hitting him on the shoulder.

Buck straightened up to glare at Chris holding three horse boots, the grooming kit, and his own boot. "God dammit, Chris! Why in hell did you throw your damn boot at me?!"

Chris gave Buck an innocent look. "Dunno what you're talkin' about, Bucklin. _My_ boots are on my _feet_ where they belong."

Buck looked at the parking lot behind him for the boot Chris had bounced off of his shoulder and realized it was the match to the boot he was holding. "Oh. I been lookin' for that boot for weeks."

Vin had been trying not to laugh at them but he couldn't help it anymore, snickering while Chris went back to pulling trash out of the truck.

Chris stuffed an empty takeout bag into the garbage bag he was holding, grinning a little as he pretended not to hear Vin, instead saying, "If you'd put your shit where it belonged, you wouldn't _have_ to look for it, Buck."

"I see your junk on my side too," Buck said quickly, pulling a black horse boot out of the pile on his side to throw it at Chris. It was the _only_ thing he saw that he was sure belonged to Chris, but at least it was something.

Chris caught the boot before it could hit him, checking the size tag on it before he threw it right back at Buck. "Not mine! Them was the ones that didn't fit Playboy, that tack truck in Mesquite had 'em sorted wrong and I didn't notice. You used 'em on Jo down at Prescott the next week an' then forgot they fit her."

"Jo's boots are all _red_ ," Buck protested, holding up one of the five red horse boots he had bundled into one arm as if to prove it.

Chris looked over at Buck again and snorted. There were still at least three or four more of the red horse boots in the pile in front of Buck that Chris could see from the other side of the truck and he knew there would be more deeper in the pile, not to mention the ones on his side of the truck. The boots were made of neoprene and heavy-duty fabric with stretchy straps and were used to wrap a horse's legs from just above the hoof up almost to the knee or hock, protecting the lower leg from impact injuries and supporting muscles and tendons that could easily be injured if a horse was ducking and dodging at a gallop after a calf without them. Chris only had two sets for his horse, Playboy, but Buck was always buying another set for Jo.

"Just how many legs do you think that hard-headed mare of yours has got, Bucklin?" Chris asked, amused.

"Four, but I gotta keep the extras," Buck protested quickly. "You know how she is, tearin' 'em up or just flat _losing_ the damn things every time I turn my back on her!"

"What happened to keepin' 'em all in that plastic tote in the floor?" Chris asked pointedly. "So you can _find_ 'em all and know not to buy more 'cause you got about five sets back here already?"

Buck looked at the pile in front of him and the Rubbermaid container he could just see one corner of, then back at Chris as he admitted wryly, "I can't ever get to the box."

"Which brings us right back to the beginnin'," Chris agreed. "You got too much shit!"

Buck looked at the pile of crap in front of him, noticing half a dozen things that were worn out or something he just flat didn't need, then finally admitted, "Alright, maybe you're right, I do."

Vin was grinning as he pushed off the trailer and said cheerfully, "Why don't I just _walk_ back to the arena? Looks like this might take y'all all day an' Jimmy's gonna be wonderin' what happened to me by now. I always help him with the horses, checkin' 'em over the day after an event and getting 'em ready to haul again."

"Nah, I'll just ride in the bed that far," Buck said, shoving his armful of horse boots in on top of his roping saddle and then pushing at them until they stopped sliding back towards him. He looked across the pile at Chris then, adding, "You can park by the dumpster at the arena, then we can really clean out the truck, toss all the shit we don't need."

Chris grinned. "Now _that_ sounds like a plan." He gathered up the trash bag he was holding, putting it into the truck on top of the pile as he added, "And once we get it clean, we're gonna find a Home Depot an' get that big tool box for the bed that I've been wanting so we got something to put most of this crap in." Chris paused, then added a bit pointedly, "The one that's divided down the middle." He closed the back passenger door a little harder than was strictly necessary then, triggering another cascade of junk out of the other side of the truck.

"Sounds like a plan, pard," Buck agreed with a sigh, bending to gather up the stuff that fell out of the truck.

Chris moved closer to Vin, still grinning a bit as he said quietly, "Oughta be plenty of room for a skinny guy like you when we get it done, if you wanna ride along to Cheyenne."

"You mind stickin' close to Jimmy's rig along the way?" Vin asked, smiling. "If somethin' happens I'd hate for him to be stranded with a trailer load of broncs and nobody to lend him a hand."

"We can do that, no problem," Chris agreed easily, nodding. "We were gonna stop in and visit with a friend a hundred miles or so out of Cheyenne, but we can go make sure Jimmy gets his string to the arena in one piece, then head for Charlie's place."

"You sure?" Vin asked quietly, smiling wider.

"Definitely," Chris replied with a grin, reaching for Vin's Big Gulp.

Vin let him have it, surprised, and watched Chris take a drink as he asked, "You like Mountain Dew, too?"

"Nope," Chris said cheerfully as he lowered the glass, "but I finished off my coffee an' I'm still thirsty." He took another drink without asking.

Vin just laughed.

 

~*~

 

"You sure about this, Vin?" Jimmy asked quietly, making Vin look at him in surprise.

"Do what now?" Vin asked, confused.

They were in the dimly lit trailer and Vin had just latched the dividing panel on the last mare's stall to keep her in place for the ride that day. Chris and Buck were over on the other side of the arena where contestants' mounts were kept loading their own horses, no doubt arguing cheerfully about something. Chris and Buck spent a lot of time giving each other shit from what Vin had seen, it seemed to be their hobby, but they both enjoyed it so much that it was easy for Vin to just relax and laugh at them. He figured the ride to Cheyenne would be a lot more fun with them than it ever could be riding next to Jimmy, listening to him sing along with the radio. Jimmy was good with a guitar, had taught Vin to play in fact, but he couldn't sing worth a damn.

"Riding out of here with them, son," Jimmy explained, trying to hide how concerned he felt. "I get that you like that guy Larabee, but I'm not sure taking off with him is your best plan. You hardly know the man _or_ his buddy."

Chris stopped outside the trailer, frowning slightly as he wondered how Vin would reply to that. Vin's big black dog stepped out of the shadows under the trailer, little more than a shadow himself in the dim light of predawn, and Chris squatted down to offer Peso his hand. The dog was coal black except for a white streak up his face and white toes on all four feet, and to look at him you'd never know he was half stock dog. He was built like his Pit Bull momma, pure muscle with a wide chest and a coat so short and sleek it was like black silk. It was easy to miss him in the dark, especially since he'd been taught to stay under the trailer while they loaded horses so he wouldn't accidentally spook one of them.

Peso licked his hand and then moved closer, tail wagging, and Chris ruffled the dogs ears gently before he started scratching Peso's neck like he had seen Vin do earlier, listening to the two men in the trailer.

Vin stared at Jimmy a moment, bemused, then asked softly, "Are you really worried those two might kick my ass, Jimmy? _Me_?" Jimmy looked away as he rubbed along his jaw with one hand, and Vin grinned, sure Jimmy was remembering one particular fight they had both been in. Jimmy had come out of it with a cracked jaw and bruised ribs, but Vin had been pretty much unscathed other than some split knuckles. "If I remember right, last time one of us got into trouble it was _you_ that needed me to help you with those three bull riders that spooked Shawnee while you was trimmin' her feet. They wanted to kill you for callin' 'em cowfuckers and might have managed it if I hadn't shown up to haul 'em off of you and kick some ass."

"You're tough, Vin, I ain't denying that," Jimmy said quickly, looking back at Vin to meet his eyes. "But I still can't say I like driving off and leaving you on your own with a guy neither of us really knows. Not after Vegas last year."

Vin made a face and looked away at the mare they had loaded last, not surprised to see Kiowa was completely ignoring them. She was a calm, quiet mare as long as nobody tried to sit on her back. That was why she was the one at the back of the trailer, first off and last on so the others had her easy-going influence with them as long as possible in the pens. " _One time_ I got knocked around a little--"

"Got beat near to death and ended up in the hospital for a couple _weeks_ , you mean," Jimmy said pointedly, annoyed by Vin trying to make it sound like such a minor thing. Vin still hadn't ever told Jimmy what really happened that day, but Jimmy could guess more of it than he wanted to. 

Vin had stayed behind after the Finals the year before when Jimmy headed home, said he had a 'friend' he wanted to spend some time with which usually meant Vin had met a guy and was planning to get laid. Vin had wandered off pretty often then so Jimmy hadn't really even worried about him, just teased him some and then headed out, sure Vin would be fine on his own right up until he got a call late that night from the arena manager. Vin had been found in the alley between pens beaten severely with busted ribs and a punctured lung, his long wavy hair cut in ragged chunks that looked like someone sawed it off in handfuls with a knife. Whoever did it - and even Jimmy didn't know that, Vin had refused to say - had left Vin so battered and bloody that the manager, who had known Vin for years, hadn't recognized him at all until he found Vin's wallet in his jacket pocket.

Vin had been released from the hospital after seventeen long boring days and cleared to compete again after a couple months, but the physical damage had healed much faster than the scars nobody could see. Vin still stubbornly refused to admit he might not be safe on his own, but Jimmy hadn't been able to miss noticing the changes in him even if nobody else seemed to. Vin didn't go out to bars on his own anymore and seldom talked to anyone new unless they were friends with someone he trusted, and he'd made a habit of letting Jimmy meet anyone he was considering spending some time with. Vin never actually _asked_ what Jimmy thought of the guys, but when Jimmy headed out for the night Vin was usually right behind him after making excuses about Jimmy needing help with the horses.

Vin's hair had been the most obvious change though, by far. It had always been just about the only part of his appearance Vin was vain about, hanging down over his shoulders in shining waves unless he had tied it back to ride, but that had changed the day after he got out of the hospital. He'd gotten out the horse clippers and practically shaved his head, and he had cut it again twice since then even though Jimmy knew Vin had always hated it short. He was finally wearing it down to his shoulders again, but every day Jimmy expected Vin to get a wild hair and cut it again.

"By the time I got there you were out of the woods," Jimmy added a bit more gently, "but the doc told me you would've _died_ if that barrel racer didn't find you when she went to check her horse."

"But I didn't," Vin said firmly, "I'm fine and I'm more careful now, you _know_ that."

"Still." Jimmy shook his head, looking down. "I don't like the idea of you taking off with nobody around to watch your back."

"He'll have _me_ to watch his back, Jimmy," Chris said quietly, making Vin and Jimmy look towards the trailer door in surprise. Chris was standing there in the shadows with Peso next to him, both of them watching Jimmy.

Jimmy said just a bit sharply, "Get under, Peso."

Peso faded into the shadows without protest, slipping back underneath the trailer to wait for them to be done just as he had been taught to do. He knew he wasn't allowed into the trailer while the horses were in there unless Jimmy or Vin called him, some of the horses were scared of him.

Chris stepped up into the trailer, moving to stand by Vin and reaching out to touch Vin's back lightly as he gave Vin a searching look. Vin smiled at him, soft and warm, and Chris smiled back before he looked over at Jimmy as he added, "And Buck'll back us both up, not that we'll need it."

Jimmy just met Chris' gaze for a few moments before he said firmly, "I'm gonna hold you to that, Larabee. He's all the family I got besides my ex wife, and she don't hardly count."

Chris blinked, looking at Vin. "You two are kin?"

Vin nodded. "He's my uncle." He hesitated, then corrected, "Well, not by blood, but it still counts. My grandma married his dad when my momma was a baby and he was..." He looked at Jimmy. "Almost six?" Jimmy nodded and then Vin looked back at Chris and went on. "She grew up with Jimmy watchin' out for her right up until he went off to college, then a few years later she took off with a kid that thought he was the next Garth Brooks. He wasn't, and when she got pregnant with me he just went out and never came back. She ended up bouncing around from one guy to the next until she died when I was seven an' I ended up in the system, livin' on a boys ranch out near Midland." He looked at Jimmy with a smile, adding, "Thought I was alone in the world after that until Jimmy ran across me when I was on the high school rodeo circuit."

"You still look just like your momma, kid," Jimmy said quietly, distracted by remembering the first time he saw Vin. It had been like seeing a ghost, from across the arena the boy had looked so much like the last photo Jimmy had of Laurie that he'd just stopped and stared. Even up close Vin was obviously his mother's son with the same smile and the same shape to his face, even the same hair. The biggest difference between them was Vin's eyes, blue as a summer Texas sky instead of brown like Laurie's were. "Once I heard the announcers callin' you Tanner and saw you ride, I had to find out if I was right. Laurie was a natural on a horse too, could've made it big on the circuit if she hadn't gone runnin' off with that guy. She left behind a barrel horse that could've taken her to the Finals."

"I'm too smart to run off an' leave my family behind, Jimmy," Vin pointed out, meeting Jimmy's gaze. "I'm not gonna disappear on you, not today or any other day. We're all headin' for the same place an' Chris already said he'll stay close to your rig just in case you need us to help with the horses."

Jimmy blinked and then looked at Chris, surprised. "You will?"

"Yep," Chris replied. "Told him I would before he decided to ride along." He paused, then added, "With a horse like Victorio involved you shouldn't even open that trailer door unless you've got someone watching your back." He snorted, looking at Vin. "And even then it's nuts to be _in_ the trailer with him loose."

"I've been loading him like that for a few years now, he ain't caught me yet," Vin said quietly with a sudden smile, looking amused and fond.

Chris smiled slightly at Vin and murmured, "Not gonna either, not while I'm around."

Jimmy just watched them smiling at each other for a moment as he realized that Chris and Buck hadn't just been trying to hurry things along like he thought when they had shown up with Vin at five to help load horses. Chris had stayed at the trailer with Vin while Buck had gone with Jimmy to help haze Victorio along the alleyway, cheerful despite the stallion making them work at it to get him moving, even swinging lariats at him. When Jimmy and Buck reached the trailer Vin had been waiting in the back to lure Victorio in like he always did, but with one difference that Jimmy finally realized was very important. Chris had also been inside the trailer, shadowing Vin all the way and making sure Vin got out of the trailer just as soon as Victorio was in. Jimmy had thought Chris was just a step slower than Vin at the time when Chris was last out of the trailer, but he realized finally that Chris had been putting himself between Vin and the horse.

"I appreciate you watchin' out for him, Chris," Jimmy said finally, still looking at Chris, who met his gaze with a slightly surprised look. "My plan for the day was to drive about five hours to a buddy's place outside Las Vegas, New Mexico, stop there to unload and water the horses, then let them stretch their legs in his arena while we walk to the local diner just up the road and grab a bite to eat. After that, it's another six hours or so to Cheyenne so I can get the horses settled in there for the week."

"Sounds easy enough," Chris agreed with a nod. "Your buddy gonna mind if we offload Playboy and Jo too to walk 'em out and water them?"

"Not at all," Jimmy said quickly, pleased. Some riders on the circuit treated their mounts sort of like their saddles, hauling them from arena to arena and expecting them to work when needed without much extra care, but that wasn't the way Jimmy worked and he was pleased to hear Chris didn't do that either. Victorio would be staying on the trailer all the way, the canny stud was tough as nails and would never climb back into the trailer after so short a break, but the other horses were calm enough to do as they were told. Letting them off to walk and drink would go a long way towards making sure none of them got dehydrated or overly stressed before they reached Cheyenne.

Peso snarled angrily outside the trailer suddenly then, making someone blurt, "Holy shit!"

Vin whistled sharply and then Peso jumped up into the trailer a moment later, trotting to Vin to sit in front of him looking up curiously and wagging his tail.

Vin chuckled and reached down to pet Peso, rubbing behind one of the dog's ears as he asked, "Who were you fussing at, mutt?"

"Me," Buck said, leaning to stick his head into the trailer's open doorway. He looked tired as he gave Peso a wary look, watching the dog a moment before he moved completely into view as he added, "I was walkin' up and he just appeared out of nowhere, snarlin' at me like he wanted to rip my leg off."

"Nobody ever messes with my rig," Jimmy said, grinning.

"Can't imagine why," Buck said dryly. He looked at Chris then, asking, "We about ready to pull out, pard? I parked just the other side of the semi loadin' chute, but I'm gonna have to move again if we're gonna be a while. Guy just knocked on the window and said there's two truckloads of cattle going out soon and they need the maneuvering room."

Chris looked at Vin and then at Jimmy, not saying anything, but Jimmy nodded quickly. "I'm ready to go. Did you boys eat yet this morning?"

"Buck just grabbed me some coffee an' a Dew for Vin," Chris replied. "I figured we'd get breakfast when we stop along the way for gas. We're ridin' on about a quarter tank."

"I'll need to stop for gas before too long, too," Jimmy said, nodding. "Preferably a truck stop, they'll have more room to pull through with the trailer. When you grab your breakfast, would y'all get me something too? I had a biscuit with my coffee, but that won't last long."

"I know what you like," Vin agreed, smiling at Jimmy. "I'll get you and Peso something."

"Yeah, no problem," Chris added, nodding. "Sure to still be something decent in a truck stop this early. Sausage biscuits or something, maybe donuts if we're lucky."

"Awesome!" Buck said cheerfully, waving towards the door. "So let's get a move on, we're burnin' daylight."

Vin laughed. "Sun's not even up yet, Bucklin."

"It's a long way to Cheyenne, too," Buck said quickly. "Quicker we get movin', quicker we'll get there."

Chris snickered and started for the door. "Easier not to argue with him and just go. Tired as he looks this mornin', he'll fall asleep in a mile or two and then he'll sleep half the morning."

Vin grinned and walked quickly after Chris, not even noticing the way Peso trotted along at his heels. "In that case, I call shotgun."

"Hey now, that's my spot!" Buck said quickly, laughing as he watched Chris and then Vin and his dog step out of the trailer. "Just 'cause you rode there on the way here don't mean you _always_ get to."

"Didn't say nothin' about _always_ ," Vin said easily as he moved towards the trailer door, "but if you're just gonna _sleep_ it won't matter you're in the back."

"You'll live, pard," Chris added, grinning at Buck, then he looked at Vin and gestured towards his feet. "He going with us?"

Vin looked down and then laughed when he saw Peso sitting by his foot watching him, tail wagging slowly. "No, Jimmy'll want you with him, Peso."

Jimmy chuckled, stepping down out of the trailer and moving out of the way for Vin to close it and lock down the door. "Take him if you want, I don't mind. He's your dog anyway."

Vin looked at Jimmy, surprised. "He's not, you raised him _and_ his momma."

Jimmy laughed. "Yeah, but it's not me he follows around when he gets half a chance, now is it?"

Vin looked down at Peso again, bemused at the way the dog perked up when he saw Vin paying attention to him, his tail starting to wag harder. Vin looked at Jimmy again and said, "He's just hoping for a handout. I share my food with him more 'n you do."

"Well if you ask _me_ ," Buck said suddenly, making them all look at him, "an' nobody did I know, but still. That dog don't much like me. I don't wanna be cooped up in the truck with him all day."

Chris laughed, surprised. "You scared of an overgrown _puppy_ now, Buck?"

"That ain't no puppy!" Buck protested quickly, indignant. "That mutt's eighty pounds at least, Chris! Besides, if Vin's ridin' up front, then where's the dog gonna be? There won't be much room 'cept in back with me an' I don't want him decidin' I look like a snack when he gets bored!"

Vin laughed. "Aww, calm down, Buck. Peso'll ride with Jimmy, won't be the first time they headed out without me. I just haven't caught a ride with anyone else in a long time so Peso's gotten used to bein' my shadow."

Chris smiled at Vin, sincere even though he tried to make it sound teasing as he murmured, "Makes me feel special, babe."

"Only 'cause you are," Vin agreed just as quietly, grinning. He turned away, heading quickly for the passenger side of Jimmy's truck as he said, "Come on, Peso. Let's get you loaded up."

Peso let out a happy little sound that wasn't quite a yip and bounced along at Vin's side, tail wagging so hard it was beating on his own ribs with a thwack with every swish.

Jimmy watched Vin go for only a moment before he looked at Chris, smiling when he saw the way Chris was watching Vin and Peso with a soft little smile. Jimmy still didn't really want to trust Vin out of his sight, but he honestly didn't think anyone who looked at Vin like that would hurt him, either. He moved towards the driver's side of the trailer, patting Chris' shoulder on the way by as he said quietly, "Enjoy the drive today, son."

"Plan to," Chris agreed as he turned his head to watch Jimmy go. "We'll hang back until you get out on the road, then move on up in front if that's okay. I made sure Vin's cell got charged so you can call us when you're ready to stop."

"Sounds like a plan," Jimmy agreed easily, not looking back even though he was a bit surprised. He knew Vin hardly ever remembered to do it unless someone reminded him, which had been left to Jimmy pretty much since he insisted on Vin carrying the phone. He lifted his gaze as he reached the first of the windows along the side of the trailer, looking to be sure it was latched down tight before moving his gaze to the next one to check it too even though he was sure Vin had already checked them at least once.

Chris went back to watching Vin and Peso, thinking it might be nice to make more room in the truck so the dog could come with them sometimes. Vin was sure to enjoy having him along, it was obvious he loved the dog, just like Peso plainly adored him.

Buck watched Chris watching Vin for a few moments longer and then snorted softly and murmured, "You are head over heels for that boy, pard."

Chris let out a soft huff of a laugh, watching as Vin gestured for Peso to get into the truck and the dog obediently leaped up into the passenger seat. "I'd noticed."

"Gonna be all over the circuit before long," Buck pointed out softly.

Vin closed the truck door and started back towards Chris, giving Chris a sweet smile and walking a little faster when he saw Chris was still watching him.

Chris smiled back at Vin and then looked towards Buck, meeting his best friend's gaze as he said quietly, "Can't say that I care, pard. He's worth it."

Buck looked into Chris' eyes for a moment and then nodded. "I got your back."

"Knew that already," Chris pointed out, smiling a little wider, then he looked back towards Vin to wait for him.

Buck turned away to head for their truck, smiling slightly despite himself. It was sure to cause trouble for them, but he figured seeing Chris happy was worth ending up in a few fights with homophobic assholes.

Chris hadn't looked at anyone the way he looked at Vin in nearly five years, not since the day his wife and son died.

 

~*~

 

The cab of the truck was quiet except for the familiar sound of Garth Brooks singing about being much too young to feel so damn old. Chris and Vin had been talking about anything that came to mind since they finished their breakfast, a rambling conversation Buck had only bothered to join in with a few times, but eventually they had all fallen silent. In another situation or with other people it might have been a tense quiet, a reason to worry that maybe being cooped up in the truck together wasn't going well, but that particular silence was anything but strained.

Buck was so quiet because he had fallen asleep with his long legs stretched out behind Vin's seat and his hands on his belly, thumbs tucked into his belt and his hat on top of the saddles piled in the rear passenger seat behind Vin. He never would have admitted it awake, but asleep it was obvious he was perfectly comfortable where he was, relaxed against the door with a folded saddle pad tucked behind him as a pillow.

Chris was in the driver's seat in front of Buck, one hand low on the wheel and the other arm draped across the center console to rest his right hand lightly on Vin's thigh, thumb absently stroking denim that was worn as soft as suede. He had been sneaking glances at Vin fairly often, enjoying the view in between stretches of watching the road ahead of them. There wasn't much traffic on the highway so early, mostly just scattered truckers, so it wasn't like the road was particularly interesting, especially not with Vin right there next to him. The way the bright morning sunlight seemed to catch in Vin's wavy hair and lit it up with flares of red-gold fascinated Chris almost as much as the way it made Vin's eyes look bluer than the sky overhead even though it was a gorgeous autumn day.

Vin was sprawled in the passenger seat with one bare foot propped up on the dash, the other foot tucked under him in the seat and his hands tucked into his jacket pockets because they were cold. He glanced out the side window as they passed a pasture with a few horses and cattle scattered out over the faded grass, his gaze picking out the two broodmares in the bunch and a stud so old his head was going silver, and then they were past them. He looked back towards Chris then and caught Chris watching him with a soft, warm expression in his eyes that made Vin smile. He didn't even stop to think before he stretched towards Chris, leaning across the console, and he smiled wider at the way Chris didn't hesitate to lean far enough to meet him halfway for a quick kiss that was surprisingly soft and sweet.

Chris was the first to pull away, looking at traffic ahead of them and then glancing at the side and rear view mirrors before he looked at Vin again, green eyes warm as he murmured, "I kinda wish I'd made Buck drive."

Vin met Chris' gaze and then looked back at Buck, grinning as he looked at Chris again. "He'd have fallen asleep at the wheel, for sure."

"Nah, he'd have been too busy fussin' every time he caught me kissin' you," Chris disagreed quietly, his lips quirking into a little smirk.

Vin grinned a little wider, shifting in his seat to turn more and look at the seat where Buck was as if he were judging how far it was, then looking back at Chris as he murmured teasingly, "Quite a stretch, cowboy."

"Not if you're in my lap," Chris pointed out, smirking a bit more wickedly as he glanced at Vin again, green eyes sparkling. "Easy access there for all sorts of things."

Vin just gazed into Chris' eyes a moment, still grinning, then looked ahead of the truck again as he pulled his left hand from his pocket to cover Chris' right hand where it rested on his thigh instead. "Oughta let him sleep a while first. He looks like that girl he went home with last night rode him pretty hard."

Chris turned his hand over under Vin's to tangle their fingers together, a little surprised Vin's hand was so cold as he watched the road ahead of them and said quietly, "It was a good night for him then, I'm sure, but no way it was as good as mine."

Vin looked over at Chris, smiling. "Enjoyed yourself, huh?"

"Of course." Chris looked at Vin, a warmth in his green eyes that made Vin wish they weren't driving as Chris added, "I was with you, wasn't I?" Vin nodded, smiling wider, and then Chris said softly, "Any night with you is one of the best I ever had." He hesitated slightly. "I'm hopin' there will be a lot of 'em."

"Not sure you could get rid of me if you tried," Vin said softly.

"Better prize than any gold buckle," Chris murmured, looking back at the road ahead of them.

Vin tightened his grip on Chris' hand, just watching him drive for a few moments before he looked at the road too, relaxing completely as he just smiled and settled down to enjoy the ride.

He felt the same way.

 

~ End  
(Really! ... I think. lol)


End file.
